The number of mining sites across regencies in Central Sulawesi has sharply increased recently, raising fears about the environmental impact of these activities.
The jump in the number of explorations has been attributed to the increasingly large number of mining permits issued by several local administrations in the province.
Based on data from several NGOs in Palu, during 2007, the local administration issued permits for mining projects totaling an area of 2,683,020 hectares in Central Sulawesi. This includes eight working contract (KK) permits covering a total area of 2,311,073 hectares and 146 mining concessions (KP) with a total area of 326,023 hectares.
Seventy KP permits were issued in Morowali regency alone, according to the data.
Sixty-eight regional mining permit letters (SIPD), covering a total area of 2,174 hectares, were also issued, as well as two production sharing contracts of 43,750 hectares, which were spread throughout regencies across the province.
In Banggai regency, 30 KP permits for type A mines, which cover marble, nickel, gas and oil drilling sites, with a total area of 175,941 hectares were issued. The regency also handed out 12 SIPD type C mining permits, for the extraction of sand and stone, covering a total area of 12 hectares.
In Parigi Moutong regency, one KK permit for a gold mine, with a total area of 44,400 hectares and one SIPD permit for a type C mine were issued.
Buol regency issued two KK permits for gold mining, with a total area of 766,100 hectares and one KP permit covering 1,003 hectares for a type B chrome mine.
Head of Central Sulawesi Energy and Mining Agency, Najib Godal, said that he did not know exactly how many permits have been given out in the licensing free-for-all.
He said the agency had no current data as the permits had been issued by each regional and municipal administration in the province.
"According to the autonomy regulations, each regional and municipal administration has the right to issue mining permits. That's why we have no idea about the number of mining projects in each region," Najib said.
Meanwhile, executive director of the Central Sulawesi chapter of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (WALHI), Wilianita Selviana, said the mushrooming issuance of mining permits in the province threatened nature's harmony.
Currently, she said, several parts of the province, such as Banggai, Tojo Una-Una, Poso, Morowalu and Donggala, suffered from severe floods.
The floods, she said, which often hit several parts of Central Sulawesi during the rainy season, were surely intensified by the opening of large mining sites, not to mention the high instance of deforestation.
"If we fail to control the mining projects, I am sure that Central Sulawesi will be inundated by floods every rainy season," she added.
